Tashkent · Cocktails, dive bar
Kosmonavt
A basement bar near Chorsu that took the Soviet space programme and ran with it.
You find Kosmonavt by looking for the unmarked steel door down a side street off the Chorsu bazaar — there's no sign, just a hand-painted star above the frame. Inside, the walls are covered floor to ceiling in mission patches, cosmonaut portraits and a genuinely impressive collection of Soviet-era space memorabilia, most of it apparently real.
The cocktail list is built around vermouth and bitter aperitifs rather than the usual spirit-forward crowd-pleasers, and it's organised by launch — order "Vostok" and you get something short, sharp and a little dangerous; "Soyuz" is the long, easy-drinking option for a slow night. Both are better than they need to be for a bar this unpretentious.
Worth knowing
It gets loud and full on Friday and Saturday nights, mostly with a younger local crowd. Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday if you want to actually hear the person next to you, and to have a real shot at a seat at the bar itself.
Price
$$ — cocktails 45,000–70,000 UZS
Hours
7pm – 1am, closed Mondays
Best for
Small groups, first dates who like a theme
Skip if
You want a quiet conversation on a weekend